The August 29 start date of the postponed 2020 Tour de France fell under new uncertainty after French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe banned all mass sporting events until September.

Hours later, however, the French Sports Ministry clarified that the Tour may not be affected. According to Sporza, "Just because a major sporting event cannot take place until the end of August does not mean that the Tour will be postponed or cancelled. 'However, there could be an impact on the number of spectators.'

Philippe addressed the National Assembly on Tuesday, laying out plans to gradually reverse the closure measures taken to stem the nationwide outbreak of the coronavirus that caused COVID-19.

With this announcement, the country's League 1 and League 2 soccer leagues canceled their seasons, as the prime minister specified that no events with more than 5,000 people would be permitted until at least September.

"To be clear, large sports gatherings and gatherings of more than 5,000 people require permission from the local police and long preparation in advance, and will not be permitted until September," Prime Minister Philippe said, according to AFP.

The 2020 Tour was originally scheduled to start in Nice on June 27 and finish in Paris on July 19, but was recently changed from August 29 to September 20.

A three-day race is scheduled in August in the south, preceded by the usual team presentations and Grande Parle events.

The prime minister's announcement seems to have ended any chance of the event taking place as planned. Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme has already ruled out holding the race without spectators or "behind closed doors."

When contacted by Cycling News, ASO declined to comment.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has killed more than 23,000 people in France, making France the fourth most infected country after the United States, Spain, and Italy.

Since the closure, French cyclists have been banned from training outdoors, but that restriction may be relaxed after May 11 if the pandemic comes under control.

The prime minister said he will decide on May 7 whether to lift the stay-at-home order, but even if the blockade is lifted, he expects rallies held on public streets or in private areas will continue to be limited to 10 people.

The prime minister's speech on Tuesday cast new uncertainty over the revised 2020 cycling calendar, which has just been created and is still in the process of taking shape.

The Tour de France, widely seen as crucial to the sport's ability to weather the pandemic, was scheduled to follow the World Championships, Giro d'Italia, and Vuelta a España, with specific classic races on as yet unspecified dates.

The race was officially suspended by the UCI until July 1, and riders were scheduled to hold the Criterium du Dauphiné, a traditional warm-up event, in August prior to the Tour.

It is unclear if the week-long race would attract more than 5,000 people or if it would be classified as a "major sporting event." If so, this too would be postponed or held privately if the authorities deem it safe; the ASO declined to comment on this possibility.

Other races scheduled for August in France include the national road race championships, the Bretagne Classic, Tour de l'Ain, Tour du Poitou-Charentes, and Polynormandie.